LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A Pennsylvania woman is behind bars after police said she took drugs and abandoned her toddler daughter naked in the woods Monday night.
According to WGAL-TV, Angela Benedict, 33, of New Providence, was arrested on a child endangerment charge after witnesses said she took the 17-month-old into a wooded area and came back alone, Pennsylvania State Police said. One neighbor told the station that she spotted Benedict "up in [a] tree" and called police.
Investigators believe that the child, who was found by a pond early Tuesday wearing nothing but a pair of socks, was by herself for 3 1/2 hours, WGAU reported.
Police said the girl had minor injuries, such as insect bites, scrapes and cuts, WCAU reported. Emergency crews took her to a nearby hospital and placed her in her father's custody.
Authorities said Benedict appeared to be on drugs but did not say what kind, according to WCAU. She is being held at the Lancaster County Prison.
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